Alan disliked this 'family', that much was obvious. But for some reason, he was subconsciously avoiding any interaction with his 'mother', the only one who seemed to have a good impression of him. That's why he had preemptively cleared a path. Did he dislike his own mother? Or did the attitude of Philip and Sauros make him loathe the entire Boreas clan?
These thoughts quickly flooded Rudeus's mind. These were aspects he would have never noticed before. But Rudeus couldn't guess Alan's true thoughts; after all, the latter was a transmigrator just like him. If he had realized this, he might have imagined Hilda as a suddenly appearing Zenith whom he had never met since birth, and who shed tears for him, and he might have had a similar feeling of 'helplessness'. He might have been able to feel Zenith's kindness, but he wouldn't be able to frankly convert that kindness into the recognition of a mother's love.
Just like Alan at this moment. He could feel that she was the only adult in the Boreas family who held a clean, kind intention towards him. But Alan couldn't feel a mother's love. In fact, he had never even felt a mother's love in his past life. He didn't know how to respond to this 'unfamiliar' kindness from a stranger.
'Alan is still only eleven, after all. He's so mature that I always forget his age. Is his will as strong as I imagine this time? Is it my turn to help him...'
A jumble of thoughts flashed by. In Rudeus's line of sight, Alan turned and followed behind Eris. Just then, Hilda's voice came from behind them.
"You all..."
Rudeus whipped his head around. In his sight, Hilda had a somewhat apologetic expression. Her gaze swept over everyone, but Rudeus could still clearly feel that her eyes lingered on Alan's face for a moment.
She said, "I'm sorry... I was thinking about something else just now, and my emotions were a bit... You are all guests from afar. As the host, I shouldn't be like this, especially when my dear is not at home."
"Let's have lunch together later. There's plenty of food, and I should entertain you... Father won't be joining us for a meal today either, so we don't need to be so particular about the rules."
Amidst Eris's sudden cheer, Rudeus heard a sigh. It came from Hilda's mouth. It was very brief, but in his heart, he felt it was a bit too long.
Lady Eris was very happy. Hilda's invitation was completely unexpected because no outsider had ever been to their family's dining table. She immediately decided to give up seeing the library first and instead take everyone to eat.
The private dining room for the Boreas 'family banquets' was extremely luxurious. Crystal chandeliers, a dining table long enough to fit a whole nest of Eris, a tablecloth of exquisite silk, and the serving plates were almost all silver, shimmering by the floor-to-ceiling windows. The table was laden with various meats, with almost no common pork, but rather rare wild birds and fish. The bread was sweeter and fluffier than in Buena Village, cut into squares and stacked on a plate for easy access, with very fine pores on the cut surface. Fresh wild vegetables were made into soup, served in small bowls, and placed on everyone's left. On the table, there were also wine and some special drinks.
The biggest difference from Buena Village was the variety of unnamed spices and seasonings from all over the world. This 'small detail' was a symbol of the nobility's power and wealth.
Alan and Rudeus sat properly at the table. Next to them, Sylphie was wiping Ghislaine's drool. Each person had a beast-girl maid behind them. Opposite them, Hilda held a spoon and slowly stirred the vegetable soup in front of her, her movements very elegant. Beside her, Eris let a beast-girl tear bread for her, looking around happily.
"Go on, eat! What are you waiting for?!"
No one moved.
Hilda looked at Eris with a doting smile. "Please, help yourselves. Don't be polite."
As soon as these words fell, Alan picked up his spoon and also stirred the vegetable soup in front of him. Rudeus, on the other hand, glanced at Alan's calm movements and then first tasted the meat on the table. He was a little curious about this noble meal, which was completely different from the food in Buena Village. Ghislaine buried her head and ate heartily.
Hilda smiled as she looked at everyone's reactions and said casually, "This child Eris has a bit of a quick temper. Please take good care of her. Your ages should not be too far from hers, so you should be able to get along with her better than the previous teachers." Finally, she placed her gaze on Alan's face.
Hilda had long since realized where that inexplicable sense of familiarity came from—this child subconsciously reminded her of her eldest son in the capital. The other party was clearly the 'leader' of these three tutors, and even Eris, with her difficult personality, had already approved of him after only one night of getting along... She was a little curious, and also had a good impression.
Alan looked at the spoon in his hand and replied, "Of course. Lady Eris is actually very cute. She's just a bit straightforward. I'm sure she'll grow up to be a well-mannered noblewoman."
Hearing this, Eris, with her mouth still full of bread, nodded proudly and "mm-hmm"-ed, but suddenly choked. Hilda reached out to help her catch her breath.
"I'll take your word for it. Compared to the long-eared young lady and Paul's young master next to you, you seem to be more mature. I heard you are an adventurer?"
"Yes."
"How old are you?"
"Eleven."
Hilda's hand stiffened for a moment. She looked up at Alan. "Ah, so young. I thought you were already fifteen. What about these two?"
"They are both seven."
"I see."
A long silence followed, with only the crisp sound of spoons clinking against silver bowls and the sound of Ghislaine and Eris swallowing their food. Hilda looked at Alan for a long time. Seeing that the other party had no intention of introducing his name, she took the initiative to ask. "What are your names? And what subjects do you each teach Eris?"
As soon as these words fell, Rudeus's hand holding the bread stiffened for a moment. Sylphie, who had not touched her food at all, turned to look at Alan. The sun shone on Alan's dark gray pupils. He finally looked up and met Hilda's eyes.
"The brown-haired boy holding the bread is named Rudeus Greyrat. He is the eldest son of the knight of Buena Village. He is skilled in various incantation-less attack magic, a student of a Water King-level magician, and is responsible for teaching Eris attack magic and arithmetic." Eris, with her mouth full, waved her hand at Alan with dissatisfaction and pointed at Sylphie on the side.
"The beautiful long-eared girl is named Sylphiette. She is mainly skilled in incantation-less healing magic, a student of a Water King-level magician, and is responsible for teaching Eris healing magic." Eris nodded with great satisfaction. Sylphie's ears twitched, and she couldn't help but grasp the shimmering silver spoon on the table.
Alan's voice continued. "My name is Alan. I am responsible for teaching Eris the Water God Style swordsmanship."
Clink. The spoon fell into the vegetable soup. Sylphie quickly turned to look at Hilda. Hilda was smiling. But her voice was a bit dazed.
"Destiny... is so interesting."
"My child is also named Alan."
"What a coincidence, madam."
"...Yes, what a coincidence."
The dining table fell silent. Eris stopped chewing, glanced at her mother, and then at Alan opposite her. Not understanding the atmosphere, she, who acted on instinct, felt that something had happened, but she hadn't 'grasped' it.
Sylphie and Rudeus beside her exchanged a glance and both lowered their heads. The former imitated Alan and Hilda's movements, stirring the wild vegetable soup in front of her with a spoon. In her reddish-brown pupils, the knuckles of Alan's hand holding the spoon were distinct, a little more forceful than usual.
(Author's Note)
I'm laying the groundwork again, so these few chapters seem a bit plain. Actually, up to now, the main line of my novel is also very clear. Like the original, this is still a story of 'growth'. Alan will grow, so will Rudeus, Sylphie, Roxy, and Eris. And they will all grow more detailed and more heartwarming than in the original.
Join my patreon For Early access to Chapter : patreon.com/TheWorldGod
Tiamat 200 Chapter (Final)
Honkai 580 Chapter
Lobotomy 110 Chapter
MushokuTensei 380 Chapter
'Pure Evil' Simulator Chapter Ending
Crossover Fic Blapterue-Eyes Chapter Ending
Harry want to be Hero 140 Chapter